· Art Therapy is a form of Psychotherapy where the client uses art as a medium to express and communicate with a qualified Art Therapist.
· The overall aim of Art Therapy is to effect change and growth on a personal level through the use of art materials in a safe, confidential and facilitating environment.
· No previous experience with art is required. The Art Therapist does not interpret the art work, only the creator knows what the art work means. This empowers the client to disclose only what feels safe for them.
· The art work becomes the central focus of the client and the art therapist in an art therapy session. This may seem less ‘daunting’ for the client than a traditional form of psychotherapy where the client sits facing the therapist.
· The art work itself can become a container: a tangible and powerful expression of emotion that can be ripped up/ locked away/ treasured and reviewed over time.
· Art Therapy can be directed, using specific projects such as; a journaling group, working with imagery from dream work, creatively working with bereavement and loss etc.
“The process of art therapy is based on the recognition that man’s most fundamental thoughts and feelings, derived from the unconscious, reach expression in images rather than words”. (Naumberg 1958: 511).
Naumberg, Margaret (1958) Art Therapy: Its scope and function. In E.F. Hammer (ed) Clinical applications of projective Drawings. Springfield, Ill: C.C Thomas.
Filed under: What is Art Therapy?
